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We're here at BlackBerry's cozy MWC press event waiting anxiously for CEO John Chen (or anyone, for that matter) to pull back the curtain on the oft-rumored BlackBerry Leap. So far, all we've gotten is a recap of progress to date and some security-minded endeavors, but surprise, surprise -- the $275 Leap just popped up on BlackBerry's global devices site for all to see.

LG's been none too secretive about its latest pair of wearables -- hell, the Watch Urbane and the Watch Urbane LTE were revealed before MWC even really started. Both of them aspire to be what LG calls "smartpieces," proper luxury watches that also pull double-duty as digital companions, but do they actually live up to those high-minded aspirations? I strapped both of them onto my wrists for a little test drive ahead of their launch in a few months, so let's find out together.

Are you a Verizon subscriber holding out for a Nexus 6 on Big Red? Well, your wait might be over pretty soon. Leaked in-store marketing materials are starting to float about and Verizon auto-uploaded a promo video for the handset (now made private) to its YouTube channel, as spotted by Phandroid. Apparently those banners and related items are set to display come March 11th with the device releasing the next day. What's more, Phandroid's sources say that when the launch does happen, Moto's big-screen device'll pack Verizon's enhanced LTE service (voice over LTE) and Lollipop 5.1. Until the Nexus 6 actually hits your local Verizon store, maybe watch our video review (below) again -- it'll make the wait exactly 3:48 shorter.

If you've performed a search with the Google box on your mobile device today, you might've noticed something a bit different in the results. When you make a query for a topic, now it'll populate results with a rotating carousel of the "freshest and most relevant content" from a single source according to Google's blog. In practice, it looks exactly like the GIF above. This'll even work for individual websites, too. For example, doing a search for "Engadget" brings up our recent stories, with a link to watch our JXE stream of Life is Strangein a YouTube section just below it.

Focus. Surprise. Kando. Sony CEO Kaz Hirai has thrown these words around like crazy since he set out to revive the company with a three-year plan, and he's been coming up short ever since. Now he's pushing ahead with a new and improved strategy, one that sees Sony basically giving up on growing its mobile business. That's not to say it'll stop making smartphones (though that's possible too), but the company's done betting that its phones will find a home in everyone's pockets.

We've likely all been there: you're at a concert or some other crowded public space and maybe it's too loud to talk on the phone or you don't have cell reception to send a text. How're your friends supposed to find you? Well, if you use LookFor, all they'd have to, erm, look for, would be your phone's flashing screen. As you'll see in the video below (or the GIF above) the app relies on fullscreen blinking colors to help you stand out from a gaggle of bystanders. Just hold your device in the air and try not to feel too self-conscious while you do it, and getting together with buddies should be a bit easier. As CNET notes, however, should the $0.99 Android and iOS app gain popularity, the six pre-packaged colors might not be enough to keep you from accidentally converging with the wrong group of people. If that does happen, at least you'll still have another sweet mobile-rave option at your disposal.

Despite what Tinder execs say, everyone knows what the app's actually used for (hint: it's casual sex), which explains why the Brazilian government (Portuguese) has used the mobile app to spread the word about AIDS. It also brought Hornet, an app aimed at gay males, into the fold and created accounts on each in an effort to raise awareness for condom use. The faux profiles were for three men and two ladies who're pretty open about their interest in prophylactic-free intercourse, and, should a Brazilian match with any of them, they'll immediately get a message warning them about the risks of unprotected sex. Given the country's struggles with the disease, hopefully it's effective.

Fresh off the Super Bowl XLIX halftime show's stage, Katy Perry and the folks behind Kim Kardashian: Hollywood (Glu Mobile)have an announcement to make: the California Gurl is getting her own free-to-play mobile game. Glu says that it'll be out the second half of this year and feature Perry's voice, likeness and personality. It's part of a five-year deal that'll put the pop songstress on Android and iOS devices (her Windows Phone love only exists in music videos, apparently), but there aren't much more details beyond that it'll "introduce players to a digital playground of global success and talent." Whether or not that includes Left Shark is anyone's guess at this point, but there are at least two Engadget editorseagerly anticipating finding out.

Reuters is getting in on the streaming news game, too. With Reuters TV, the outfit's targeting commuters that want to keep up on current events with personalized, on-demand and live content that's downloadable for offline viewing. Reuters promises real-time coverage as well, giving examples like streaming protests in Egypt or presidential speeches from our nation's capitol. Video content will range from 5 - 30 minutes in length and is produced exclusively for the iOS app, drawing from the news organization's some 2,500 journalists on the ground in over 160 countries. Sounds a bit like what the BBC recently did for its app, and this could be great for folks where underground WiFi and cell data isn't available just yet, we'd imagine.

Wish your Android device's lock screen was a bit more scenic? Microsoft's Garage team has you covered with Picturesque, then. It pulls the daily image from Bing's homepage and throws it to your phone in addition to adding a box for Redmond's search engine of the same name, as spotted by AndroidCentral. Not a fan of the photo of the day? You can shake it off for one from the past six days. Notifications for missed calls and messages are here too like with Garage's previous effort, Next Lock Screen, but there are a few functional differentiators. For instance, with Picturesque you can read full news articles without unlocking your device, and Indian users get a few regional bits like Muhurat measurement. It's worth noting that you're trading music player controls and a few other things, though. Sound like something that'd be up your alley, regardless? Well, it's available on Google Play right now -- you know what to do.

If Three's owner Hutchison Whampoa successfully buys O2, the pair could wield even greater power in the UK than we thought. Less than a week after Sky announced its plans for an O2-powered mobile network, Dixons Carphone is doing the same -- only it's struck a deal with Three. Details are scarce, but the FT reports the merged retailer will stand out with tariffs that allow customers to easily switch their minutes and data mid-contract. The idea being that if you have 5,000 texts, but find that you're only using half of them each month, you won't have to wait two years before downsizing your contract.

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CarphoneWarehousecarrierDixonsdixons carphonemobilenetworkthreeThreeUkMon, 02 Feb 2015 04:41:00 -050021|21137811http://www.engadget.com/2015/01/30/saygus-phone-price-preorder/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget&ncid=rss_semi
http://www.engadget.com/2015/01/30/saygus-phone-price-preorder/http://www.engadget.com/2015/01/30/saygus-phone-price-preorder/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Engadget#commentsHow do you prove your device isn't vaporware? Put a price and pre-order date on it. Well, that's what Saygus is doing with the V2 (pronounced V-Squared) that we spent some time with at the Consumer Electronics Show this year, at least. If you reserve a handset come February 2nd, not only will you get a $50 break off the $599 asking price, but Saygus is throwing in a few extras as well. Those include an additional battery and what the company's calling a "customized, replaceable glass screen protector." The pre-order registration window's been extended until noon MST February 2nd, and actual pre-orders start at 11:59 p.m. MST (the outfit's based in Salt Lake City, Utah) or February 3rd at 1:59 a.m. Eastern. What a world we live in: one where you can register to pre-buy something that still doesn't have a release date, from a company that hasn't succeeded in bringing a product to market in its five-year existence.

Well, it's that time again. Apple has just released its latest batch of quarterly earnings, and wouldn't you know it -- the folks in Cupertino once again sold more iPhones than it has in any other quarter. We're talking 74.5 million phones changing hands since October, up just about 50 percent from its last utterly insane holiday quarter. Apple doesn't break down sales numbers by model, but its smartphones' bang-up performance helped push company revenue to new heights; the company raked in a cool $74.6 billion in revenue, along with $18 billion in pure profit. That is crazy.

It's been a long time in the making, but Snapchat's new Discover feature is ready to go... and so is the app's transformation from a pure messaging service into a full-blown media destination. Once the app update is in place, a quick tap on a circle icon that lives in the top right corner of the screen takes you away from your inbox and plops in front of a curated selection of stories from media partners like CNN, Yahoo, Vice, ESPN and even Snapchat's own fledgling editorial team.

At its heart, Twitter seems to be suffering from some sort of existential crisis, struggling to work out if it's a social network, a messaging service or a publishing platform. Today sees the company launch two features that, if we're honest, only really tick the second and third items on that list. Starting from now, you see, users can host group direct messages with those in your social circle that can only be seen as a broadside on services like WhatsApp. The other big feature, meanwhile, is that Twitter's mobile apps will now let you record, edit and share 30-second videos straight to your timeline.

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Direct MessagingDirectMessagesMobileTwittervideoVineTue, 27 Jan 2015 09:06:00 -050021|21135442http://massively.joystiq.com/2015/01/26/pax-south-2015-moonrise-and-state-of-decay-shine-at-the-undead/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Massively&ncid=rss_semi
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Most media appointments at an event like PAX South 2015 work like this: You meet the person you're supposed to meet, that person shows you the game her studio is working on, and then you rush off to the next booth on your list while cursing yourself for not scheduling time for a snack. Undead Labs handled my PAX appointment a bit differently, sitting me down for back-to-back play sessions with brand-new tablet game Moonrise and a remastered version of State of Decay, the zombie survival game that put the studio on the map.

It was a little jarring to go from adorable pet battles to being torn in half by a zombie, but the two-for-one session provided a nice glimpse of where Undead Labs has been and where it intends to go.

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androidconconsoleconventioneventevent-coverageeventsexpof2pfantasyfeaturedfree-to-playfreemiumhalf-featurehands-oninterviewinterviewsioskindle-firemassively-event-coveragemicrotransactionmicrotransactionsmobilemoonrisepaxpax-2014pax-2015pax-primepax-prime-2014pax-southpax-south-2015penny-arcade-expopokemonpremiumstate-of-decaysteamundead-labsxboxxbox-oneMon, 26 Jan 2015 10:00:00 -0500319|21134603http://massively.joystiq.com/2015/01/22/perfect-ten-my-mobile-mmo-experiment-part-2/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Massively&ncid=rss_semi
http://massively.joystiq.com/2015/01/22/perfect-ten-my-mobile-mmo-experiment-part-2/http://massively.joystiq.com/2015/01/22/perfect-ten-my-mobile-mmo-experiment-part-2/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Massively#commentsLast week on Perfect Ten I began an experiment to "taste test" a batch of mobile MMOs to see if there's anything out there that's worth playing in this day and age (apart from the often-recommended Order & Chaos Online and Spacetime Studio's lineup). For the record, I would absolutely love a great mobile online RPG, but it would need to be a game that's tailored to such devices and offers a compelling experience beyond trying to clone a generic MMO.

Let me sum up my adventures so far: While I did discover a couple of interesting titles, there was nothing in the first five games that made me want to keep them on my smartphone. Let's hope that this week's group brings out the big guns because I will be despondent if this experiment is in vain!

Microsoft showed off the latest Windows 10 features today and also shook things up with a few other announcements -- like Windows Holographic (!). In other news of note, WhatsApp makes the jump to desktop, we take a stab at explaining cryptocurrency and Teenage Engineering comes out with an adorable set of synths you can fit in your pocket. Get reading for details on these stories and more!

Could your next cell service plan be with Google? According to a report byThe Information, the answer is yes, as it's plotting out an MVNO (mobile virtual network operator) service that could run on the networks of Sprint or T-Mobile. That's a similar approach to other companies like Straight Talk, MetroPCS or Virgin Mobile (owned by Walmart/Tracfone, T-Mobile and Sprint, respectively) but the rumors suggest the point of the "experiment" is to push down prices and improve the experiences customers have with their wireless networks.

It all sounds quite a bit like Google Fiber, but by rolling out on existing infrastructure, Google could launch in many places all at once. On the other hand, it would still rely on its competitors to make the whole thing work, which has dragged down many such ventures in the past. It's the kind of thing such rumors have suggested Google wanted ever since it launched Android with the G1 in 2008, but now with the platform's marketshare secure it may not have to worry about angering telcos who would go from partners to competitors overnight.

Well, those leaks were spot on. WhatsApp founder Jan Koum just announced (via Facebook, naturally) that the hugely popular messaging company has launched a web client that'll let users fire off messages from inside the desktop version of Google Chrome. As Koum points out, WhatsApp for the web is only an extension of the mobile apps you're already familiar with, meaning all of your lengthy conversations and exchanges still live primarily on your phone. Make no mistake: WhatsApp is still the epitome of a mobile-first company. Just to ram that point home, the (characteristically simple) setup process requires you to scan a QR code from the mobile app of your choosing. For now though, the client only plays nice with Android, BlackBerry, BlackBerry 10 and Windows Phone versions of the app -- Koum fingered "platform limitations" as the reason why iOS users can't join in on the fun.

Right, so, we already know that Microsoft is making sure just about everyone -- from desktop owners to Windows Phone 8.1 aficionados -- get a Windows 10 upgrade for free within the first year, and we've gotten a look at how Windows 10 has evolved since we last saw it. Now it's time for the mobile nitty-gritty we were hoping for, as Microsoft's Joe Belfiore demoed a version of Windows 10 for phones and tablets smaller than eight inches.

After taking big swings with Windows 8 and 8.1 -- how big a miss they were is open to interpretation -- Microsoft's trying to redefine how we work with computers once more. We're going to get a much closer look at Windows 10 at 9AM PT/12PM ET tomorrow (which we'll be liveblogging, naturally), and all the usual suspects will be on hand to wax poetic about Windows' next steps: There's CEO Satya Nadella, of course, along with Windows chief Terry Myerson, mobile impresario Joe Belfiore and Xbox czar Phil Spencer. Let's take a moment to look at what we know -- and what we expect -- Microsoft will show off in Redmond very soon.

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microsoftmobilewin10windowswindows10windowsphoneTue, 20 Jan 2015 14:15:00 -050021|21132268http://massively.joystiq.com/2015/01/17/perfect-ten-my-mobile-mmo-experiment-part-1/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Massively&ncid=rss_semi
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I'm often mystified that we haven't seen or heard much about MMOs on mobile devices. You'd think that with such a massive potential audience that studios would be racing to bust this market wide open, but whether it's the limitations of such devices (size, lack of input) or some stigma against developing "serious" games for app stores, we've seen remarkably few of them over the past few years.

I've grown increasingly curious what MMOs, if any, might be out there for my tablet and smartphone. Practically every list I've read begins with both Order & Chaos Online and the Spacetime Studio games (both strong entries) and then quickly peters out with titles that nobody writing those lists have ever played. Search engine inquiries are helpful with that, I assume.

So I decided that I'd undertake an experiment. I would scour the internet and app store for 10 MMOs that have come at least slightly recommended by some list maker, sample them, and see if they compelled me to play more. Will any of these 10 prove to be interesting enough to stay on my phone after this series is done? Find out as I start with the first five of the bunch...

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animasanimas-onlinearmed-heroesarmed-heroes-onlinedragon-eternityfeaturedgameforgehumormobilemobile-mmomobile-mmosopinionorder-and-chaos-onlinep10perfect-10perfect-tenroundupsmartphonespacetime-studiostablettablet-mmothe-perfect-10the-perfect-tentop-10top-10-listtop-tentop-ten-listtorchlightSat, 17 Jan 2015 14:00:00 -0500319|21121684http://massively.joystiq.com/2015/01/15/ncsoft-snaps-up-more-mobile-studios/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Massively&ncid=rss_semi
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Does NCsoft see mobile gaming as the wave of the future? If its business acquisitions are any indication, it definitely has a strong interest in that field. The mega-publisher recently picked up two indie studios, NOVN and Dotomchi Games, for $740,500. It is looking at a third mobile studio as well.

Last year, NCsoft announced that it is working on mobile versions of Aion, Blade & Soul, and Lineage Eternal, among other titles. We've got trailers for those titles after the break to refresh your memory.

Need help choosing today's outfit? There's an app for that. It's called ClosetSpace and in addition to the aforementioned feature, it also offers an on-demand pro stylist ($25/month) and outfit recommendations based on the weather. It all works based on you either uploading photos of individual pieces or adding them from retailer catalogs, and it'll analyze your collection and offer deals from brands and services based on what's in your closet. The app's available for Android and iOS, too. What's more, should you want to offload a few pieces, in the future the app'll connect you to secondhand marketplaces where you can list them with one click, according to TechCrunch. Sounds pretty futuristic, yeah? Well, we're guessing that if all you wear is American Apparel tees and Levis, this might not be nearly as useful.